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The city of Raleigh was established in 1792 and named after Sir Walter Raleigh, the explorer who in 1587 founded the first English colony in the New World on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Raleigh is one of only three U.S. capitals that was planned on paper before being built.
Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" and often is described as "a park with a city in it.” Trees planted at the city’s inception still provide cooling shade for visitors to Moore Square Park, where you’ll find the city’s signature copper acorn. As the capital city, Raleigh is home to three state museums of art, history and natural sciences. All offer free admission.
• The North Carolina Museum of Art will take you on a voyage through 5,000 years of artistic heritage. Peruse works by American artists as well as collections of African, Oceanic and New World art, Egyptian, Greek and Roman art, 20thcentury art and more.
• The North Carolina Museum of History tells the stories of generations of NorthCarolinians and others who have shaped the state's history. Includes the largest historical flag collection in the United States, a Civil War exhibit, replica of the Wright Brothers' plane and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
• The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is home to famous dinosaurs: Willo, the only dinosaur ever discovered with a fossilized heart, and the world's only Acrocanthosaurus, known as the "Terror of the South." It is the largest natural history museum in the Southeast.
Although the area is known for its college basketball rivalries, three professional sports teams call Greater Raleigh home: Carolina Hurricanes (NHL hockey), Carolina Mudcats (AA baseball) and Carolina RailHawks (professional soccer).
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